A week ago I finally finished The Phone Book: The Curious History of the Book That Everyone Uses But No One Reads, by Ammon Shea. This is one of those books that I read the title and description and was intrigued, and found a copy on the cheap. I picked it up and actually got pretty far into it, but then got sidetracked by other books. It was looking pretty silly to have it on my "currently reading" list on goodreads.com for so long, so I decided enough was enough and finished it.
I know it sounds like a super geeky book, but it was actually really good. Mostly because Shea has a very readable style, so that something that could become tedious is pretty interesting. And you would be surprised at how much there is to know about the history of the phone book. But Shea doesn't just retell the history. He tells about how people have used it and for what, people who collect them, people who tear them in half, and what the future is looking like for the poor phone book. The book is chock full of information (and by the book, I was thinking of Shea's, but the phone book is, too, really). Shea does a great job covering a topic no one would usually think to explore because most people don't care, and while you read, you find you do care. I don't think I will ever look at a phone book the same way again.
Anyway, if you are looking for a good non-fiction read about a random topic, this one fits the bill. Seriously, it was a good book, and I'm glad I read it. And, in honor of this fine piece of work, check out this link: http://ur.umich.edu/9899/Jun21_99/3.htm
Lo, the power of the phone book.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Birds birds everywhere
As promised, more on Birdology, by Sy Mongomery. First off, I feel that this book deserves it's full title, which is (are you ready?): BIRDOLOGY: ADVENTURES WITH A PACK OF HENS, A PECK OF PIGEONS, CANTANKEROUS CROWS, FIERCE FALCONS, HIP HOP PARROTS, BABY HUMMINGBIRDS, AND ONE MURDEROUSLY BIG LIVING DINOSAUR. (Yes, I had to copy and paste that. How else was I ever going to get it all in their correctly?) I had no idea what this book was even about, but my brother put it on his Goodreads list, and I'll be honest, I found the title so intriguing, I figured how could it not be good and decided I had to read it. (Which goes to show the power of a good title).
My brother is a birder, and while I'm not one, I have nothing against birds. I probably would never pick up a book about birds if it didn't have such a beckoning title, although having read this book, that might change. It was a really interesting book. I learned a lot about birds in general, and several types of birds specifically. And I now know that I will never be a hummingbird rehabber. Also, despite how much Sy loves chickens, I am not going to become a chicken lover. Except for dinner. And lunch. (I have no problem eating chicken. In fact, I feel pretty good about it.) I have a huge respect and admiration for cassowaries now.
Bottom line, this is a really good book. It's informative but narrative. So not a bunch of facts poured out at length, but a very personal account with facts thrown in to give insight into the narrator's feelings. The book did not convert me into an avian adorer, but I have a new/different appreciation for them and the mild random interest I had in them out of experience with my brother has grown to a more educated interest for their own sake. And mine. The title did not betray the book--it is definitely worth reading.
My brother is a birder, and while I'm not one, I have nothing against birds. I probably would never pick up a book about birds if it didn't have such a beckoning title, although having read this book, that might change. It was a really interesting book. I learned a lot about birds in general, and several types of birds specifically. And I now know that I will never be a hummingbird rehabber. Also, despite how much Sy loves chickens, I am not going to become a chicken lover. Except for dinner. And lunch. (I have no problem eating chicken. In fact, I feel pretty good about it.) I have a huge respect and admiration for cassowaries now.
Bottom line, this is a really good book. It's informative but narrative. So not a bunch of facts poured out at length, but a very personal account with facts thrown in to give insight into the narrator's feelings. The book did not convert me into an avian adorer, but I have a new/different appreciation for them and the mild random interest I had in them out of experience with my brother has grown to a more educated interest for their own sake. And mine. The title did not betray the book--it is definitely worth reading.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Aaaand, I'm back
It occurred that I haven't written in ages, and you probably all wondered what happened. Well, nothing. I just didn't blog anything. Not that I haven't been reading, I have just been reading a lot of Wodehouse and Pratchett, so there isn't anything really to blog about. But, I did just finally finish a series that is not by either of those authors, and that posed some interesting questions, so I actually have something to post about.
I recently finished the Montmoray series by Michelle Cooper. This is a really interesting series for me, because I can't give it a blanket recommendation. I would recommend it, but I'd have to give a caveat first. Primarily because this book deals with various issues of sexuality, and I'd want anyone I recommended it to to know that. And since it is written for a teen audience, I'd want to make sure that there was an adult apprised and ready to address the issues with them. Fiction is great, but I think there needs to be some real world context in some cases.
Anyway, what I did like about this series was that it gave a unique look at what WWII was like for those living in Europe, particularly England. There is a really great feel for the climate in Europe leading up to the War. I really liked the historical aspect of the novels, (although I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn't more detail about the historical authenticity in the author's note at the end).
And now for the issues. Not all of these were bad. For example, questions about puberty and the birds and the bees. I must admit, I do wonder sometimes how that knowledge was passed on in times when it was a more taboo topic, and that is one of the things that comes up in the book and was addressed quite tactfully. The author also has a character that is gay, and while it's not the main theme of the book, it was a running sub theme, you could say. Now, I have mixed feelings about throwing sexual orientation into historical-based plots, because so often, people try to reflect modern attitudes. In this case, the author did a good job of reflecting attitudes of the time--it was not socially acceptable, although people knew it happened, and it was kind of hushed up. And I think that the author did a good job of not interjecting her opinion on the matter, but just showing what the attitudes of the time were.
The author did the same thing with topics like couples living together and having affairs. Now, part of me says, "seriously, how prominent was all this? I mean it happened, but the odds of one family, one person, encountering all of these issues?" And then I say, "Well, how prominent was it? People didn't talk about it, so maybe it was as common. Maybe it wasn't. I don't know." But I think in this case, I think the author was just trying to show the culture of the time--in terms of the war, women's rights, politics, marriage, and these issues. So it works.
The one part I didn't like was the main character had a one night stand with someone (even weirder, it was her half cousin who also had a relationship with her brother, and it was all just weird). It was just a disappointment, because it seemed kind of out of character for her. That is the one thing that would really hold me back from giving it a blanket recommendation. Because it throws that "romance novel" scene in there. So, I'd want to be sure I knew who I was recommending it to, and how they would be affected/how they would react to that. Which, doesn't happen til the third book, but once you've read the first two, you have to know how the war ends for the characters (since we obviously know how the war ended for the world generally).
Anyway, the series did present me with some interesting things to think about. Currently I'm reading Birdology, so look forward to a bit on that. More about birds than you thought you wanted to know. (Still can't say I get the appeal of chickens).
I recently finished the Montmoray series by Michelle Cooper. This is a really interesting series for me, because I can't give it a blanket recommendation. I would recommend it, but I'd have to give a caveat first. Primarily because this book deals with various issues of sexuality, and I'd want anyone I recommended it to to know that. And since it is written for a teen audience, I'd want to make sure that there was an adult apprised and ready to address the issues with them. Fiction is great, but I think there needs to be some real world context in some cases.
Anyway, what I did like about this series was that it gave a unique look at what WWII was like for those living in Europe, particularly England. There is a really great feel for the climate in Europe leading up to the War. I really liked the historical aspect of the novels, (although I was a little bit disappointed that there wasn't more detail about the historical authenticity in the author's note at the end).
And now for the issues. Not all of these were bad. For example, questions about puberty and the birds and the bees. I must admit, I do wonder sometimes how that knowledge was passed on in times when it was a more taboo topic, and that is one of the things that comes up in the book and was addressed quite tactfully. The author also has a character that is gay, and while it's not the main theme of the book, it was a running sub theme, you could say. Now, I have mixed feelings about throwing sexual orientation into historical-based plots, because so often, people try to reflect modern attitudes. In this case, the author did a good job of reflecting attitudes of the time--it was not socially acceptable, although people knew it happened, and it was kind of hushed up. And I think that the author did a good job of not interjecting her opinion on the matter, but just showing what the attitudes of the time were.
The author did the same thing with topics like couples living together and having affairs. Now, part of me says, "seriously, how prominent was all this? I mean it happened, but the odds of one family, one person, encountering all of these issues?" And then I say, "Well, how prominent was it? People didn't talk about it, so maybe it was as common. Maybe it wasn't. I don't know." But I think in this case, I think the author was just trying to show the culture of the time--in terms of the war, women's rights, politics, marriage, and these issues. So it works.
The one part I didn't like was the main character had a one night stand with someone (even weirder, it was her half cousin who also had a relationship with her brother, and it was all just weird). It was just a disappointment, because it seemed kind of out of character for her. That is the one thing that would really hold me back from giving it a blanket recommendation. Because it throws that "romance novel" scene in there. So, I'd want to be sure I knew who I was recommending it to, and how they would be affected/how they would react to that. Which, doesn't happen til the third book, but once you've read the first two, you have to know how the war ends for the characters (since we obviously know how the war ended for the world generally).
Anyway, the series did present me with some interesting things to think about. Currently I'm reading Birdology, so look forward to a bit on that. More about birds than you thought you wanted to know. (Still can't say I get the appeal of chickens).
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